We would never underestimate the ability of hackers to root a device, but it looks like Samsung will: they’re about to roll out a new firmware update for the Galaxy Tab which they think will make it hack proof.

According to people experimenting on new builds of the firmware, the new JM6 A, C and D builds Samsung is playing with have bootloaders that are signed and will prevent unauthorized firmware from running. When the new firmware is installed, all existing jailbreaks, roots and custom firmware will simply cease to work.

The good news here is that this signed bootloader isn’t necessarily going to be rolled out to Galaxy Tab owners: later builds of the same firmware, in fact, eschew the signed bootloader all together.

For jailbreakers — or even legitimate customers who worry that Samsung might drop Android support for the Galaxy Tab and that they’ll have to load a custom version of Honeycomb on their tablet themselves — this is worrying.

However, hackers are an indefatigable and ingenious lot. Let’s not forget that Samsung’s approach here is very similar to the approach HTC took making the T-MobileG2 “unhackable…” an approach which has since been thwarted.

Reader Comments

Jon Hoffman

well… I suppose when “hackers” do get around this firmware and show Samsung, we will all be one step closer to a world where companies realize that “unhackable” firmwares, DRMs, etc… are all impossible and we can be rid of all of this wasted time and money and just be able to actually USE stuff however we want to use it.

hodar

Isn’t the whole point of Android – is that it’s an OPEN system?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the OPEN source the number one selling point for Android? The idea that anyone could develop code, instead of going into the Apple ‘Walled Garden’ approach.

Now, with the Galaxy mandating that you will run their code, and ONLY their code – this defeats the entire point of the exercise.

On the positive side; at least Samsung has the b*lls to say this up front, unlike the scum-sucking folk at Motorola who put in the efuse ‘feature’ without telling their customer base.

Holmes108

Being “open”, and being able to hack and modify the OS are two different things. It’s open because anyone can install or write any app they want. That’s what makes it different than, say, IOS.

Installing custom ROMS is a very narrow view of openness. And yes, I do install custom ROMS on my android phones, but I think this is a different issue than openness.

Yoyoyoy

There is something called freeware and another opensource or open…

Android is free, you can install it if you want and write apps if you want, but they should not change the android os.Is a free product, but you cant modify it however you want